Plantain challenge!

I recently found a fabric shop (worrying close to work as far as my bank balance is concerned) with loads of fabric on sale for either £1 or £2 a metre.

I picked up loads of knits as my wardrobe is lacking in me-made long sleeved tees, with the plan to try out the Grainline Hemlock and see if i liked the looser silhouette.  And then Deer and Doe brought out the Plaintain tee which is another free download.

It's a loose-ish fitting casual tee with long and short sleeved options, elbow patches and a scoop neck.  And there's a competition!

The fabric I chose for was a navy and white striped heavyish weight knit with an interesting ribbed texture on the (plain navy) reverse side.  I wanted to play with the reverse side with some accents, so I drew a line on the pattern piece parallel to the shoulder seams, finishing at the front armhole notch.  On the back I went straight across to the lower back notch.  Of course you need to add seam allowances onto these so you can sew them together!  I cut the neckband and elbow patches as normal but used the reverse side.  At the last minute, I decided to add bands of navy around the cuffs.  I used the same method as the Renfrew cuffs with a folded band which also saved on hemming time!  The hem is twin-needled.

I sewed the whole thing on my overlocker, just using my sewing machine for topstitching.  I doubted my ability to get the neckband on correctly with the overlocker but it worked really well and was so fast!

Once I was almost finished I tried it on and felt the loose fit around the waist and hips wasn't especially right for me, so I took a wedge out at each side seam from waist to hip - it ended up being about 3" taken out at the hemline.  Apart from this, I sewed up a straight size 40.  I don't normally wear tunic length tops so I decided not to add to the length as I usually would to make things fit. 

The pattern lends itself really well to customisation -  Anna from Paunnet has made a really cute dress version, so I'm hoping to see some lovely versions popping up on the blogosphere this week.  Have you seen Rachel's deer and doe elbow patches?  Amazing!

Are you entering the competiion?  Link me up to your version if so - I'd love to see!

Wardrobe Architect - Week 2

Oh I am behind!  It's been a crazy week and I've only just got around to blogging last week's Wardrobe Architect and now the next one has just been posted!

The Husband has been away for work, throwing all of our precarious childcare arrangements into disarray, so I've been working through lunchtimes (when I usually blog) so I can leave early or come in late.  Thanks goodness he is back today!

So on to Wardrobe Architect week 2!

This week is about identifying words that describe how we feel about our style and ourselves and attach images to them.

When you are wearing your favourite clothing, how do you feel?

 Confident, slim, put together, stylish, quirky, attractive

When you are wearing something that is not quite right, how do you feel?  What are the feelings you want to avoid about the clothes you wear?

 Uncomfortable, restricted, fidgity, exposed, judged

Who do you consider to be your style icons?  What is it about them that appeals to you?

 Jane Birkin - laid back, carefree but still glamorous
Daisy Lowe (and actually Pearl Lowe too!) - mixes vintage and modern with a bit of an edge
Alexa Chung - also mixes vitage and modern with lovely detailing and cute accessories
Lou Douillon - quirky and rebellious
Karen Gillan - vintage style with a bit of a modern edge

What are some words that describe things you like in theory, but are not quite you?

 Fashionable, loose, funky, urban, minimal

Under this, I also noted that I love Audrey Hepburn and the way she dressed, but it's just not me at all.  I wouldn't suit her style.  I thought about why this was and I think it is that she had a very clear style that was totally her, and she always stuck to it.  She was always beautifully chic (of course it helps if Givenchy dress you!), wearing plain coloured, slim fitting styles that really showed off her petite figure.  So a clear style seems to me to be really important.

Looking at answers from week 1, list 15 words that you associate with your answers

 Difference, confidence, ethical, practical, standing out, focus, clear, dual purpose, work, home, child-friendly, music, slow fashion, quality, balance

Are there any words you would add to this list? What other words describe your core style?

 Vintage, modern (since these 2 are a bit contradictory I am interpreting it as mixing vintage with modern), rebellion

If you had to narrow your list to 3-5 words to describe your style what would they be?

Vintage
Modern Twist
Practical
Confident
Great accessories!

Here's my moodboard, broadly collated from my Happy Wardrobe Project Pinterest board (which you can find here if you like).  I skipped the pics of dresses on their own or on models in favour of real people or characters as I think it gives a better feel for how the looks might actually be worn.

Now onto the next task!

A "free" hat

When I finished my Hetty cardigan I had a skein of Malabrigo Worsted left over.  3 skeins would have given me just enough yarn according to the patterns and as I was planning to lengthen I bought 4 just in case.

I found this cute beret pattern by Andi Satterlund. It's a free pattern so I'm calling this a totally free project!

Love those decreases in the star shape!

 The beret knits up quickly and easily in the round- I think it only took me a couple of days. It's got a simple cable pattern around the band - this would be a great introduction to cables if you want to learn them.

I blocked it round a dinner plate which was the perfect size.

What is the weird stripe in my hair?  I swear that's not normally there!

 A nice quick wearable project and toasty warm as it's getting colder here.

Wardrobe Architect - Week 1

The first task in the Wardrobe Architect project is to look at how different aspects of our lives and personalities have an influence on our personal style.  Read Sarai's full post here.

I thought I'd answer on a blog post as the ones I have read so far have been really interesting! Check out Helena and Becky's if you haven't seen them already.

History

Probably the two biggest things that have influenced my personal style were going to university and having a baby.

At school I didn't have a lot of confidence due to a bit of bullying (nothing serious but enough to make me keep my head down and not be noticed by being different). Looking back, the clothes I wore were mainly copycats of what my friends wore.  When I went to university I got into the indie music scene and started wearing clothes to look different and stand out.  It was around the time of grunge so think DMs with floral dresses, combat trousers, band tshirts, shorts/cutoffs with tights, parkas and checked flannel shirts (a la Bridget Fonda in Singles)

Source:  Projections

When I had a baby i seemed to lose my personal style all together. I suppose this started (pre-sewing) with a lack of interesting maternity clothes and ended up as a very blah wardrobe. I went back to work quite a bit heavier than before and dressed to blend in.

Philosophy

Probably the philosophy that has the most bearing on what I wear is a dislike of fast fashion. I hate the cheap and nastiness of the clothes and recent events in textile factories have really made me think about how the high street produces clothes (and not just the cheap places either). I used to just avoid the very cheapest places like supermarkets or Primark but when places like Gap or J Crew are involved with these places it's hard to know where to shop. The only low-paid sweat shop I want to wear clothes from is my own sewing space!

Culture

Source: Ayay.co.uk (this really made me laugh - that statue always wears a traffic cone!)

I grew up in the west of Scotland not far from Glasgow where there was (and still is) a very strong culture of reverse snobbery - the "who does she think she is?" effect. As a result, some people look down on people who want to look different and so a lot of people look the same.

I also find that when i go back there (my mum still lives in the town where I grew up) I see far fewer people wearing "trends" or dressing to stand out.  Probably the exception is students.

Community

Source: ourmommyhood.com (look at these glamorous mummies!)

At this stage in my life, lots of friends have at least 1 child if not more. Several don't work (and therefore have financial constraints on clothes shopping) but jeans and tees are often the order of the day.

By contrast where I work is extremely trendy. The average age is about 25 and most of the women are very slim and look great in everything.  There's no dress code so anything (including jeans) goes. 

I ddon't want to look trendy but I do want to have my own style and look.  But balancing this idea of practicality and style is very important for me.

Activities

Source:  workingmomsagainstguilt.com

As I said above, I need a wardrobe that works both for home life with 5 year old and work life in a trendy but casual office.  My main non-work activity is sewing and through that I have met lots of lovely ladies (yaay Spoolettes!) who often have a clear look and style and I think that is so important when you sew. When you can make anything in any colour I think you need a style to narrow it down and focus.

I have a small child and a limited amount of time So for that reason I need to focus on clothes that are easy to care for (hand wash means not worn in my house), that can be worn with flat shoes, and are practical for everyday life. Separates and knits are important and I have done a pretty good job of filling out my wardrobe with these this year.

Location
 

Source: map-of-uk.co.uk

I live in the south East of England.  The weather doesn't require very specific clothing although it does rain a lot so things that can be worn with boots are good - sandals tend not to be worn much! Tights are essential probably from about September to May, so the skirts and dresses that get worn the most are ones that work with and without tights. A jacket or coat is usually necessary and I tend to layer with cardigans to deal with the range of temperatures from home to outside to train to air conditioned office.

Body

Source: Clkr.com

This is a big one for me. One of the reasons my personal style fell by the wayside was weight gain. I have always gone up and down in weight. I lost 60lbs a couple of years ago and felt much better about myself. It's amazing how much more confident I feel, even speaking up in meetings etc. I have put a little bit back on which I am currently working to lose (that'll be a lifelong battle right there!).

I am coming to terms with my frame as something I can't change (obvious right?). I have a large frame with broad shoulders and hips. I am tall so it is relatively proportional.  My top half is not too bad. Since having N I carry a bit of extra weight on my stomach (I never had any extra weight there before).  If I gain it goes on my hips and thighs. My hips are fairly in proportion. My thighs are not. I definitely have what Tasia nicely calls strong thighs! My legs are ok. Wow, I managed to critique my body without being too negative - that's a first!

This has been interesting - looking forward to the next task!

Gasp! I made socks!

I know some knitters knit socks almost exclusively and I never expected to be one of them, but with pair 1 in the bag I can see how they become addictive. They are a great portable project.

I was looking for a knitting project for over Christmas (knitting in front of the TV when you have visitors is a bit more companionable than sewing on a noisy machine in another room!). By coincidence Kristen from K-line was running a knit along on her blog to knit a pair of socks in a week using a pattern she devised and made available for free.

I looked for a yarn without too high wool content due to itchiness issues.  After much debate on Twitter I went with Opal Rainforest which is super wash with nylon to make it hard wearing.  The colours are beautiful and I love the striping effect.

For some reason Blogger wants you to see this pic this way around.  Thanks Blogger!

 I ordered a few colours to get the hang of socks (and in case my first pair came out unwearable!). The colours I chose were Tom the Bard,  Lea the Drummer and Rudi the Saxophonist (odd names as apparently they are names after endangered rainforest species). After deciding to give the first pair to my mum she chose Tom the Bard which is a mix of greens, blues and turquoises.  I used Addi Lace needles as Kristen recommended and really liked them - the join between needle and cable (which is my pet hate with circulars) is so smooth and never catches.  As I'm a tight knitter, I went up a needle size to 2.5mm which worked fine.  To widen it a little round the leg as my mum hates tight socks, I added 8 additional stitches to get an extra 1".  I knitted the rest as per the pattern, adding a couple of extra decrease rows to lose the extra stitches during the toe shaping.

The pattern is really easy to follow with charts to keep count of the number of repeats you've done. Kristen uses magic loop on circulars as I did but she shows how to use the pattern on dpns too.

The only issue I had was in doing the Kitchener stitch for the toe. Sock 1 was terrible (unpicked and redone several times in different methods until I gave in and just sewed it up) but I found a clear tutorial for sock 2 and it worked really well. You can find it here.  Here's a pic of the good one - you're not getting a pic of the bad one!

So there are at least 2 more pairs in my future (and N wants a purple pair - I am hopeful I can get a small size pair out of the wool I have left after knitting a adult pair so I'll be trying a pair for her in this colour first.). 

Have a look at Kristen's tutorials and pattern if you'd like to give it a go. Did you knit along? Have you made socks before?

The scary sewing skill swap

Try saying that after a drink or two...

This frankly scary looking collection is for a long - promised jacket for the husband.

Earlier in the year he did a beautiful renovation on a vintage Elswick bike for me and in a fit of gratitude I promised to make him a jacket.

It has to be mentioned that hubby is a fussy bugger when it comes to clothes. Everything has to be perfect or he won't wear it so I'm under pressure on this one! Here's my brief:

The pattern we agreed on is the Fairbanks pullover anorak from Green Pepper (bought from Rocky Woods - a treasure trove for this sort of pattern, which is not easy to find elsewhere).  The jury is still out on the inclusion of extra pockets - he likes pockets.  I am making a few amends to the pattern. In addition to a possible sleeve pocket and maybe 2 lower pockets for hands, the main pocket will be a patch pocket on the outside and the flap will be squared off.

The fabric hubby chose is a navy Goretex (the real thing and if you have ever tried to buy this fabric you'll know what a great ebay find this was!). We also got swatches from Pennine Outdoor who are so helpful on understanding this type of waterproof performance fabric. You have to line Goretex as the inside is coated with waterproofing which will eventually rub off as it is worn if left unlined.  He wanted a breathable lining of course so he chose a navy cotton. He doesn't want padding or insulation as he prefers to layer underneath with a base layer rather than wear a bulky jacket.

Fairbanks is a very clear pattern with good instructions on how best to sew the seams (with straight stitch first then zigzag inside the seam allowance and trim) but not so much on sealing the seams other than you have to do it! If you don't, water will drip through the needle holes rendering your precious waterproof fabric next to useless.

I've gathered a few resources on this as they were pretty few and far between - maybe this might help someone else! The choice is pretty much between a liquid sealant or taping the seams.

A post on the Sewaholic blog about making a waterproof Minoru was very useful

This helpful lady tested various seam sealing options

KBenco has sewn with Goretex and various other outdoor fabrics and posted about how to work with it here

This Ebay guide is goodl for understanding the difference between fabrics and has some good tips

 Based on the above, I decided to go for seam tape purchased from Pennine Outdoor which states that it works well for Goretex type fabrics. It irons on fairly easily at a temperature that doesn't damage the fabric (from the test swatches I have done so far) but once it's on, it's not coming off so I'm going to have to be careful! Ripping back seams isn't going to be an option as it will leave obvious holes in the fabric. 

I'm using microtex needles (to make the smallest possible holes when sewing) and standard polyester thread. I also have a waterproof zip.

Wish me luck!

Have you ever done a skill swap where you swapped your sewing skills for something you couldn't do? Any tips for sewing with waterproof fabric?

Minerva Blogger Network - The Blackberry dress

For this month's Minerva make I decided to make a comfy knit dress. I have lived in knit dresses this autumn / winter as they are so cosy! When  I saw Rachel from House of Pinheiro in her Dakota and felt the lovely soft fabric for myself I know i had to use it.

The pattern is a really good one - the much made, loved and blogged about New Look 6000. You might recognise it as the pattern Winnie used for her polkadot frock fest. It's a great basic darted dress pattern with  cute collar and cuff variations and a version with side pleats. I've had the pattern a while and I used it as the basic bodice for my Mad Men dress.

 As I had already worked on the fit of this one, I didn't need to make a muslin. I just traced off the  bodice pieces and added the skirt.  All bodice fit alternations were written about in detail here if you are interested!  I decided to make the version with collar and cuffs.  I had originally intend to make the side pleated version, but it has no bust darts and I couldn't wrap my tiny brain around how to do an FBA on it.  Any advice/ links?  As I'd love to make that one - it looks so flattering.

The fabric is a ponte jersey in blackberry.  Its hard to describe and the picture on the site really doesn't do it justice.  It's a greyish, purplish marl.  The reverse is slightly darker and has a stripe to it so I decided to use it for the collar and cuffs (not that it's terribly obvious from the pictures!).  It is lovely and thick, easy to sew and handle and very soft.  There have been other lovely projects made from this jersey - Rachel's Dakota as mentioned above, and Jane's Lady Skater to name a few.

Vicki from Minerva helped me with my button choice as usual. She suggested these white buttons with a black rim around them.  I think the rim really helps the buttons stand out.

I really like this make, but I am thinking about shortening the sleeves. I'm not that happy with how I finished them and I tend to prefer either 3/4 length or short sleeves. I think short sleeves will work better under a cardigan.  But it's totally wearable and I'm going to wear it a few times and see how I feel about it!

The only changes I would make would be to leave out the zip (as I can get this on and off without it).  Typical since it is probably my best invisible zip insertion to date!  I think i would also interface the collar - you can see in the back view pic that it's a little bit floppy. The pattern calls for interfacing of the cuffs but not the collar.

If you want to make your own version, you can buy a kit from Minerva here.  It includes fabric, an invisible zip, 4 small buttons and 1 large one plus matching thread.